The present invention relates generally to sporting equipment bags. More particularly, it relates to an improved sporting equipment bag for carrying baseball bats or softball bats and other sports related equipment.
It is well known to both the casual weekend athlete and the professional player that one of the most unpleasant tasks associated with playing baseball/softball is transporting all necessary equipment to and from the ball field. A non-exhaustive list of desired equipment includes a baseball glove, a batting glove, baseballs, athletic shoes (i.e., cleats or spikes), a water bottle, a score book and a helmet.
More recently, sport utility bags have become available which comprise separate compartments in which certain items can be stored. However, these bags still are difficult to clean and also hold many heavier items (such as bats) loosely, which makes the bag more difficult to carry and more likely to cause damage to other, lighter items contained in the bag.
Baseball equipment bags have become more sophisticated with time. The early bags were typically an elongated duffel or toll-type bag having a zippered opening and an elongated storage compartment for storing the player's equipment. This type of bag is popular because of its soft-sided feature which makes it easy to store and transport. The player's equipment typically includes at a minimum a bat, a ball glove, one or more balls, a cap, and playing shoes. Additionally, it may be desirable to carry the player's shirt, pants and a towel in the bag for convenience. Thus, a variety of items may typically be carried in the player's bag. The plain elongated duffel or roll-type bag with one elongated compartment fails to keep the various items in any semblance of organization in the equipment bag making it difficult for the player to keep items segregated and inconvenient for the player to find things within the bag.
The problems associated with segregating the items and finding things within the bag have been partially resolved by including pouches and/or pockets attached to the inside and/or outside of the bag. Typically, the pouches or pockets have an opening which closes by means of a zipper, elastic or VELCRO hook and loop fasteners. VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V. The present baseball equipment bags typically include a segregated and separate bat compartment for housing one or more bats with access to the bats being provided solely by means of a zippered bat opening.
However, many of these bags are of a larger size to accommodate the length of a baseball bat or softball bat, thus making them bulky and inconvenient to use when not storing a bat inside them. Other bags have a portion which extends to accommodate a bat but is not accessible from the exterior of the bag. The bat must be installed through the main compartment of the bag. Also, some bags have extendable compartments which cannot be folded or stored within the bag.
Thus, it is considered desirable to have a sporting equipment bag which has an extendable compartment to accommodate a bat and has an opening separate from the remainder of the bag. It is also considered desirable to have a sporting equipment bag with an extendable portion which may be folded or telescoped into a portion of the bag and sealed closed.
Accordingly, it has been considered desirable to develop a new and improved sporting equipment bag which would overcome the foregoing difficulties and others while providing better and more advantageous overall results.